Hokori
by Selah1
Summary: The first eight had been rejects. [Pride Character Study]


"_We'll need someone in the military. Preferably at a high position. It would be for the best in the long run."_

"_Fuhrer?"_

"_Pardon?"_

"_Should this person be the Fuhrer? It's the highest position."_

"_Perfect"_

The first eight had been rejects. Not the right demeanorand such. Some

had gone horribly wrong. Dante was slowly losing her patience. Thinking that they would never found the person to help lead the group to completeness.

Then he walked past her window and she just stared. He was a high-ranking man in the military already. Some people said he had an all seeing eye. The one behind the eye patch they would joke. One of his eyes had

been ruined during a war. The perfect excuse.

He had a happy disposition and came across as honest. No one expected him to do anything wrong. The perfect cover.

"Envy," Dante called eyes not moving from the window.

Envy walked over and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm...What

is it?"

Dante gestured to the man she had been looking at. "Kill him."

Envy had killed him swiftly. Then dragged his body back to the mansion. They had made him a homunculus that night and it had been a success. Dante had declared him Pride, saying that a man that would become the Fuhrer would be very prideful.

He was announced the Fuhrer within a week of his return and Dante had been extremely pleased. She explained that the Military ran the country, with the Fuhrer as one of them everything would work out in their favor.

Dante had introduced him to the rest of the homunculus a couple days later. "This is Pride he will be leading you in my stead."

Not one objected but that could be because it was Dante's word. Dante had each of the homoclus listening to her. Her words and promises tied them to her. Promised Lust to make her human. Envy was promised revenge on his father. Gluttony had his food. Greed had no promise. She had locked him away, she sensed that she had to. Greed was overcome by its name.

When Pride training was to her approval, Dante left. She promised to return and left instructions and reminded the other homoclus that Pride was in charge.

He never thought much of them. Vague memories of life before when he was weak. He was strong now none of that mattered. That person had explained he was better now. More able to command and such.

He pretended to care. It was quite simple to be the doting father and have a happy disposition. It was rather amusing to see people fall for the charade.

Many of the higher ups were married or were going to. It was a rather amusing statistic.

Many men desired to have his position. Yet not one had managed to steal the title from him.

Mustang amused him. He was quite aware of the man's secret ambitions. He kept Mustang around because the younger man amused him. So idealistic. It was almost laughable really.

He had never let them down. Leading them through danger and danger. He had protected him when enemies tried to take over the country. The people loved him. In a sense it was the exact same reasons why the other homocunclus listen to him.

He led them to the right people and gave them places to hide within the military. Really, it was very easy, since he was the Fuhrer. No one expected him to do no wrong. He had a higher standard than most people did. He was after all leading the country. Some people thought he was too perfect for a mortal. Shame they didn't know that he wasn't one.

Dante came back. It wasn't a long visit but long enough. The way she was acting you thinks she found another homunculi.

That was when he met Sloth.

It was his job to teach her the ropes and help her find an identify. It wasn't hard. He needed a secretary and it would be the perfect cover-up. An identity was easy to find. Juliet Douglas finally had a use. The name had been going to waste until now. Simply wonderful.

Dante had left soon after, simply saying she would return in time. She reminded them that all they needed was one more to complete the group.

It was strange. Being here at the funeral. Funerals held little meaning to him. He had been alive for so long those funerals had lost all it's meaning.

It was easy to fake grief. One of the easier emotions to pretend and to convince others you was feeling it.

Pride had attended many military funerals. Each as meaningless as the next. He was required to attend all of them because he was the Fuhrer. It was mostly because he had an image to pertain.

Brigadier General Maes Hughes had been different. Pride had always found the man mildly amusing. Often wonder if he felt some connectives with Hughes. Both were fathers in a sense and pride often wondered if he would have been like Hughes if he were mortal.

Perhaps not.

After all Hughes was in a category of his own really. No man seemed to measure up to his obsessions. Especially about his daughter. Before his daughter it had been his wife.

Gracia Hughes. She had been a pretty enough woman. She had been extremely polite, the couple times he had met her.

Elysia Hughes, he had seen even less than Gracia. A charming little girl whose father lavished attention on her. She must be very photogenic by now.

How long until someone try to assantate him. It had been too quiet for too long. Someone must be planning something. Besides Mustang of course. Mustang wasn't going to do anything yet.

Pride supposed it didn't really matter. He would know who was coming before they came anyway. It was awfully handy to have an all seeing eye really. You knew about all the upcoming things that could really throw off a person's schedule.

He had at least a couple hours before someone showed up with a new problem. For now he was going to do something relaxing. Like eating watermelon.


End file.
